May 27, 2011

Description: A sticky dashboard matMain Pitch: "Conforms and sticks to any surface"Main Offer: $14.99 for twoBonus: Two more (just pay processing)Starring: Anthony SullivanMarketer: TelebrandsProducer: Sullivan ProductionsWebsite:www.SpiderMat.comPrediction: On the Fence

Past history indicates this product shouldn't work on DRTV. The late, great Billy Mays did the Max Grip Dash Tray (No. 2) in 2009, and it didn't roll out. But who knows how close it was or why it ultimately didn't succeed? Maybe there were problems other than response that Telebrands has now solved. If so, I think this one has a decent shot. The spot is well done, the product solves a problem and there are some cool demos. Kudos to the Sullivan team for their creativity. I like the "centrifugal force" demo a lot (but not the British pronunciation of the word).

The only other thing that bothers me here is the positioning of the product. I like that the marketing team tried to make this more interesting than just a piece of black silicone, but to me the Spiderman theme makes the product for young males. Since DRTV buyers are still predominantly older and female, that might be a liability.

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About Me

I am the founder and president of SciMark Corp., a consulting firm that specializes in direct marketing techniques. I've helped launch dozens of consumer products in my career, some of which (such as the Finishing Touch/Micro Touch hair removers and the HD Vision line of sunglasses) went on to become household brands. I also helped pioneer two methodologies for identifying winning DRTV products that have become industry standards: online surveys and Web testing. In addition to publishing blogs, I contribute regularly to Response magazine and the official blog for the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA).